Carpet sweepers having brush cleaning combs



April 17, 1956 w slEBERT 2,741,785

CARPET SWEEPERS HAVING BRUSH CLEANING COMES Filed Dec. 8, 1951 F1 7. 5. @fiv Q5 United States iT atent U CARPET SWEEPERS HAVING BRUSH CLEANING CONIBS Werner E. Siehert, Grand Rapids, Mich, assignor to Bissell Sarpet Sweeper Company, Grand Rapids, Mich.

Application December 8, 1951, Serial No. 266,661

Claims. (Cl. -43) This invention relates to improvements in carpet sweepers having brush cleaning combs.

The main object of this invention is to provide in a carpet sweeper an improved assembly in which the combs are effectively supported without the use of attaching or mounting screws therefor.

Objects relating to details and economies of the invention will definitely appear from the description to follow. The invention is defined in the claims.

A structure embodying the features of the invention and illustrating the steps of the method of its assembly is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. i is a fragmentary plan view of a carpet sweeper embodying my invention, parts being broken away and shown in section to show structural details thereof, and

certain parts being omitted.

Fig. 2 is a transverse section on a line corresponding to line 22 of Fig. l with certain parts omitted to more clearly show the structural details.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary plan view of. certain parts. to be assembled, illustrating one step of the method. of assembling my invention.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view illustrating certain structural details.

The embodiment of my invention illustrated comprises a. casing designated generally by the. numeral 1 and provided with floor wheels 2, the axles 3. of which: arefioatingly mounted. As this mounting forms no part of. my invention, it is not illustrated or described herein. The brush 4 is provided with rollers which coact with the floor wheels 2 so that the brush is rotated as the sweeper is translated overthesurfaceto-be cleaned.

The combs designated generally by the numeral 6 are mounted to coact with the brush. These combs have interspersed long and short teeth substantially as shown in the Pullen application, Serial 245,830 filed September 10, 1951. The mounting of the brush may desirably be that of the Pullen Patent 2,418,725 issued April 8, 1947. The dust pans commonly provided in sweepers are not illustrated as they form no part of this invention. The axles or shafts of the floor wheels are disposed through housings 7.

The casing comprises side members 8 and end members 9 and a cover or top it). The side members 8 are pro vided with vertical grooves 11 on their inner sides adapted to receive the ends of the end members which are fixedly secured in the grooves by means of adhesive indicated at 12 and by the nails 13. The combs 6 are provided with bar-like body portion 14 preferably of curved section. The interspersed long and short teeth 15 and 16 are formed integrally with the body portion preferably as a sheet metal stamping. The combs are provided with integral lugs 17 at each end therof. The end members 9 have recesses 18 in their inner sides dimensioned to receive the lugs 17 preferably under frictional or somewhat forced engagement. In practice the recesses 18 may be stamped into the wood end members, that is, it is not necessary to 2,741,785 Patented Apr. 17, 1956 form them by machine cutting operation. The combs are disposed on opposite sides of the brush to coact with the tufts or bristles 19 for removing or stripping the flufi and other material picked up by the bristles.

In assembling, the side members are formed with the grooves 11 therein. The end members are formed to fit the grooves which are in the embodiment illustrated adjacent but spaced from the ends of the side members. As stated, the end members are formed with the slot-like recesses 18 into which the lugs 17 of the combs 6 are inserted, providing an assembly such as is shown in Fig. 3 consisting of the end members and the combs. The side members are then applied to and secured to the end members with the ends of the end members within the grooves 11 of the side members. One purpose of the nails is to hold the parts in assembled relation until the adhesive has set. The recesses 18 are of such depth and thebody portions of the combs are of such length that when the lugs of the combs are inserted in the recesses 18, the casing end members are properly spaced to enter the grooves in the casing side members. This greatly facilitates assembling as the combs and end members are assembled' as a unit, as illustrated in Fig. 3, and the casing end members then secured to the casing side members. This effectively supports the combs in a fixed relation without the use of screws or nails or mounting brackets. The combs are always in correct position for proper'fun'ctioning with the brush. The recesses 18 are in practice died or stamped into the end members and as the end members are properly positioned by a jig the recesses are formed so that the parts are always in correct relation when assembled and do not depend upon the care or skill of a workman as the case where parts are mountedby means of screws or the like.

The side members have inwardly facing longitudinal grooves 20 above the top edges of the end walls at their juncture with the side members adapted to receive the edges of the casing top 10. It will be noted that the upper edges of the end members are conformed to support the ends of the'top'ofthecasing. The end members have downwardly opening central slots 2T through which thebrush or its shaft projects to receive the rollers 5.

The openings 22 for the fl oor wheel shaft housing 7 are punched simultaneously with the forming of the recesses 1-8, as are alsotheholes 23". The handle 24 is pivotally mounted at" 251 Details of this mountin'g'are not illustrated or described as they form part of this invention.

The combs are not only efiectively supported by this manner of mounting without the use of screws, but they also serve to retain the end members and the combs in assembled relation so that they may be assembled at one station and the side members applied at another station. The side members constitute tie members so that a complete assembled unit is provided consisting of the side and end casing members and the combs which are properly positioned and assembled without the aid of tools and jigs, which are, for example, required in assembling where combs are mounted by means of screws or secured to the end walls after the frame and end members are assembled.

In the embodiment illustrated the brush is mounted on the brackets 26 carried by the end bars 27. As stated, this mounting forms no part of my present invention and is therefore not illustrated or described. I have illustrated and described my invention in a highly practical embodiment thereof, and I have illustrated the steps of the method in a manner which I believe will enable the eflicient practicing thereof. I have not attempted to illustrate or describe certain embodiments or adaptations which I contemplate as being desirable to adapt my invention to other models than that illustrated, as it is believed that this disclosure will enable those skilled in the art to practice my invention as efiiciently as may be desired.

Having thus described my invention, what 1 claim as new and desire to secure by'Letters Patent is:

1. The combination with a carpet sweeper casing comprising side members having opposed pairs of vertical grooves in their inner sides, and end members disposed with their ends within and fixedly secured in said grooves, of a pair of laterally spaced combs formed as sheet metal stampings and comprising bar-like body portions of curved section having teeth on their upper edges and having integral longitudinally projecting lugs on the ends thereof, said casing end members having pairs of elongated slot-like inwardly opening recesses spaced longitudinally thereof, corresponding recesses of the pairs being aligned, the lugs of said combs being shaped to correspond to said slot-like recesses and being disposed therein with the ends of the combs abutting the inner end members having aligned slot-like inwardly opening recesses in which said lugs are disposed with the ends of the comb body portion in abutting supported engagement with the inner sides of the casing end members when the end members are secured to the side members whereby the comb is nonrotatably supported solely by the engagement of its lugs within said recesses and the engagement of the ends of the comb with said casing end members.

3. The combination with a carpet sweeper casing comprising side members, and end members fixedly secured to said side members, of a comb having integral longitudinally projecting noncircular lugs on the ends there or, said casing end members having aligned inwardly opening noncircular recesses in which said lugs are disposed with the ends of the comb body portion in abutting supporting engagement with the inner sides of the casing end members when the end members are secured to the side members whereby the comb is nonrotatably supported solely by the engagement of its lugs within said recesses and the engagement of the ends of the comb with 5 said casing end members.

4. The combination with a carpet sweeper including a casing comprising side members having opposed pairs of vertical grooves in their inner sides, and end members disposed with their ends within and fixedly secured in said grooves, of a pair of laterally spaced combs comprising body portions having integral teeth and having integral lugs of noncircular section projecting longitu dinally from the ends thereof, said end members having pairs of inwardly opening recesses spaced longitudinally thereof and of a shape corresponding to the shape of the lugs to nonrotatably receive the same, corresponding recesses of the pairs being. aligned longitudinally of the casing, the lugs being disposed in the recesses with the ends of the combs abutting the inner sides of the end members when the casing end members are disposed in said grooves in said side members whereby the combs are fixedly mounted within the casing.

5. The combination with a carpet sweeper casing comprising side members and end members fixedly secured to said side members, of a pair of laterally spaced combs having integral noncircular lugs projecting longitudinally'from the ends thereof, said casing end members having pairs of noncircular inwardly opening recesses spaced longitudinally thereof, corresponding recesses of the pairs being aligned, said lugs being disposed in said recesses with the ends of the combs abutting the inner sides of the casing end members, said combs and casing end members when assembled constituting an assembled unit, the combs being of such length as to space the end members for attachment to the casing side'members, the attachment of the casing end members to the casing side members acting to prevent disengagement of the combs from the end members. 7

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 230,944 Iaques Aug. 10, 1880 655,896 Davis Aug. 14, 1900 1,937,590 Pullen Dec. 5, 1933 2,040,623 Morgan May 12, 1936 2,228,528 Miller Jan. 14, 1941 2,233,754 Stern Mar. 4, 1941 2,302,275 Thiele Nov. 17, 1942 2,371,918 Rubin Mar.'20, 1945 2,625,698 Kadt et a1. Jan. 20, 1953 2,642,617 Lilly Oct. 20, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 454,484 Great Britain Oct. 1, 1936 

